A (fantastic) Night at the Musicals

More than 100 students from Wellsway School were involved in a spectacular production entitled A Night at the Musicals.

The show, which was sold out on all three nights, showcased a variety of songs from West End shows. Students made up the cast, chorus and band.

Ingrid McLean, head of music, said rehearsals - many led by students - had been taking place since September to ensure slick performances.

“Staff were hugely proud of the dedication and commitment shown by all students involved,” she said. “The show featured solos from students in Year 7 to Year 13 and demonstrated what a promising future the performing arts department holds.”

Wellsway School principal Matthew Woodville thanks Ms McLean, head of drama Hannah Davies and other staff for giving up evenings and weekends to support the students on and off stage and praised the talented cast for sn outstanding production that included some impressive and moving performances.

“The students were extraordinary. What I was most pleased with was the inclusivity of the show; its breadth and depth with around 100 students participating in some way. Taking to the stage in front of a full house every night is a fantastic opportunity to build confidence and shape character,” Mr Woodville said.

31/Jan/18

Delight as Wellsway School gets another Good Ofsted report

Wellsway School remains a good school in the eyes of the education watchdog Ofsted.

Three inspectors who visited the 1350-pupil secondary in Keynsham in January said it continued to deserve the rating of good, which it received in 2014.

They noted a number of improvements brought about by the principal, Matthew Woodville, since his arrival in April 2016 and said senior leadership was very strong. They also praised the support given to the school by the Wellsway Multi Academy Trust.

In a letter to Mr Woodville, lead inspector Kathy Maddocks said: “Senior leaders have an accurate understanding of what needs to be done to make sure pupils gain even greater successes. You are working well as a team. You provide and receive good training from the Wellsway Academy Trust which has benefited the school.”

Changes in staffing, expectations and procedures had led to improved teaching and learning, she reported. A greater focus on students with special educational needs was also noted..

Ms Maddocks said the school was right to be proud of the good progess being made by pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. She also said the school had raised expectations for the high proportion of students who were most able.

“Too many teachers were not pushing pupils to gain grades that reflected their true potential. You have made teachers more aware of the capability of pupils. Now, pupils receive greater challenge in their learning,” she said.

Ms Maddocks described Wellsway as having a “positive and friendly atmosphere.”

“Inspectors observed and talked with pupils, noting they were relaxed and happy,” she said.

Pupils told the inspectors that the school handled incidents of bullying effectively.

Plans to introduce more careers guidance for children from Year 7 to help prepare them for life beyond school were highlighted..

Mr Woodville said he was delighted that Ofsted had recognised the strengths of Wellsway School.

“I am pleased that Ofsted agrees with the direction the school is going in as we continue our journey towards outstanding. We welcome this report, which acknowledges the changes we have made to support all students to reach their potential.

“We are confident the measures we have put in place will ensure students enjoy their time at Wellsway, make rapid progress and develop into confident, respectful and successful young people.

Andrea Arlidge, chief executive of Wellsway Multi Academy Trust, said: “Congratulations to Matthew Woodville and his team for this very successful Ofsted short inspection report. It is clear that staff, students and their families are benefiting from being part of a strong local partnership where everyone is working together to provide a high quality educational experience.”

The Meadows Primary School is part of the Wellsway Academy Trust. The Trust is the admission authority for the school and is consulting on the admission arrangements to apply to The Meadows in the 2019/20 academic year.

The admission arrangements comprise of the documents listed below and are available on the school’s website at www.themeadowsps.co.uk.

All admission applications for The Meadows Primary School will be coordinated by South Gloucestershire Council as part of the Council’s Coordinated Admission Scheme for maintained schools. The Coordinated Admission scheme for the academic year 2019/20 remains substantively the same as the scheme approved in 2018/19. A copy of the 2018/19 scheme is available at www.southglos.gov.uk/admissions.

All applications received during the academic year will be considered in line with South Gloucestershire Council’s In-year Admissions Scheme. The scheme applies to all applications from parents/carers for in year admission to schools and academies located in South Gloucestershire including admission to The Meadows Primary School. The In Year Admissions Scheme for the academic year 2019/20 remains substantively the same as the scheme approved in 2018/19. A copy of the 2018/19 scheme is available at www.southglos.gov.uk/admissions.

The Council will determine the Coordinated Admission Scheme and In-Year Admissions Scheme to apply to admission in the 2019/20 academic year by 28 February 2018.

What is the proposed change?

It is proposed to add a criterion to the existing oversubscription criteria to afford priority of admission to Children of Academy Staff. The criterion is as follows:

‘Children of staff where that member of staff has been employed for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the Academy is made and/or where the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.’

The proposed oversubscription criteria for 2019/20 is set out below:

Children in Public Care

Local Siblings

Children of Academy Staff

Distance from the home address

How do I make my views known?

Anyone may comment on the proposed arrangements. We are particularly interested to hear the views of:

parents/carers of children between the ages of two and eighteen in South Gloucestershire;

headteachers and Chairs of Governors of all mainstream schools and Academies in South Gloucestershire;

Following the end of the consultation period, Wellsway Academy Trust will determine the admission arrangements to apply to The Meadows Primary School by 28 February 2018 and these will be published on the school’s website by 15 March 2018. Once arrangements have been determined objections can be made to the Office of the School Adjudicator.

13/Dec/17

Admissions Consultations for Keynsham C of E Primary School

This consultation on proposed admission arrangements for 2019/20 academic year is open to everyone and is particularly aimed at:

Parents of children between the ages of two and eighteen in Bath & North East Somerset

Headteachers and Chairs of Governors of all mainstream schools and Academies in Bath & North East Somerset

Neighbouring Local Authorities

The Diocese of Bath and Wells and the Clifton Diocese

Bath & North East Somerset Councillors

East Keynsham Church of England Primary School is consulting on their proposed admission arrangements and admission numbers for the 2019/20 school year.

The consultation starts on 18 December 2017 and will end on Friday 2 February 2018. Following the consultation period East Keynsham Church of England Primary School will determine its admission arrangements by 28 February 2018 and these will then be published on this website by 15 March 2018. Once arrangements have been determined objections can be made to the Office of the School Adjudicator.

The Local Authority may have been asked to publish details of the proposed admission arrangements for Foundation (including Trust) and Voluntary Aided Schools or Academies where the Governors/Academy Trust are the admission authority. Any such details will be listed below and the consultation period for the schools concerned will end by 28 February 2018.

Responses concerning Academies should be sent to Wellsway Multi Academy Trust for the attention of the CEO of Wellsway Multi Academy Trust.

11/Dec/17

Trust Matters no: 4 - newsletter December 2017

Saltford Primary's opening ceremony for the new build

On Friday 15th September Saltford Primary School, celebrated the Official Opening of their new build. Chair of the Council, Councillor Cherry Beath, performed a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Councillors, the B&NES Project Team, the architects, the contractors, school Governors and members of the School Council. Following the ceremony everyone enjoyed a tour of the new facilities.

The school is delighted with the design and construction of the new six classroom block. The learning spaces are light and airy and we like the contemporary feel of the building. Staff and pupils are inspired by these outstanding facilities.

Andrea Arlidge, chief executive of Wellsway Multi Academy Trust, said: “It is wonderful to see the children and staff settling in to these lovely new classrooms, which are giving Saltford Primary the learning environment it deserves.

The headteacher, governors and parents have shown vision and determination in driving forward developments at the school, including a new ‘secret garden’ and early years play area as well as the sports pitch. Congratulations to them all.”

Thank you to Mrs Arnott, mother of Ben in Class HR, who made this beautiful cake for the occasion. Mrs Arnott also made cupcakes for the children in the School Council.

Bishop Peter – Blessing the New Build – On Monday 25th September Saltford Primary School welcomed Bishop Peter, the Bishop of Bath and Wells to the school to lead a service to bless the new building. Bishop Peter, accompanied by Rev Daile Wilshire and David Williams, Andrea Arlidge, CEO of the Wellsway Multi Academy Trust and Dr Matthew Cottrell, the Deputy CEO of the Wellsway Multi Academy Trust, took part in the whole school assembly and then blessed the new build. He toured the new building and spoke to the children in the new classes. The children really enjoyed his visit.

03/Oct/17

Ambitions 2017 event

The Bath Studio School Year 13 results 2017

Our year 13 students at The Bath Student School are celebrating well deserved success having received excellent A level and BTEC Level 3 Technical qualifications. In particular, the number of students achieving the best possible grades A* - B equivalent has increased dramatically by 9% to 25% of the year group reflecting the strong, aspirational ethos of our sixth form.

Colin Cattanach, Principal, welcomed the results:

‘Our Sixth form this year was recognised by Ofsted as being ‘Good’ based on last year’s very good results. Today we celebrate even better year 13 results with significantly more of our students achieving top grades. The standards of teaching in the sixth form are excellent and the students over the last 2 years have responded with enormous commitment to secure the best possible grades. All of our year 13 students have been outstanding ambassadors for our school. Our unique approach to education in the city, grounded in academic excellence but also uniquely tailored to prepare young people for the world of work and University has clearly delivered our mission to transform life chances and enabled all of our students to experience success. We are profoundly proud of their achievements reflected in today’s results. We look forward to welcoming new students to our sixth form in September and still have places available’

Headlines

25% of our students achieved the top grades of A*- B in 2017 compared to 16% in 2016. We have improved the % of top grade achievement by 9% in one year.

Our overall average grade per entry (A levels and BTECS combined) is Grade C+ in 2017 compared to Grade C in 2016

Our BTEC Technical qualifications, much valued by employers and Universities improved in 2017 with an average grade of Distinction up from a Merit in 2016.

Our sixth form results in 2017 show a marked improvement in top grade achievement. Our students have performed magnificently across both academic and technical subjects and nearly 40% are Progressing to University with the remaining 60% moving on to apprenticeships or gaining employment with local employers such as Future Publishing.

Sam Kenyon Hamp - 2 Distinctions* grades in TV and Film, A grade in EPQ, C grade in English Lit

Sol Rosser 2 Distinctions* in IT, Distinction in Software Games Development

Alex Sutherland 2 Distinctions* and Distinction in TV & Film Studies and Software Games Development

Colin Cattanach, Principal added ‘I am delighted with these results. Our students have worked very hard to achieve incredible success. Coupled with their extensive work experience, they are really well prepared for the next stage in their lives. All of our students who applied to University have been offered their 1st choice places.’

Andrea Arlidge, CEO of Wellsway Multi-academy Trust who runs The Bath Studio School said: ‘I am delighted with the results at The Bath Studio School and congratulate all the students and staff for all their hard work. What is particularly pleasing is the 100% pass rate and the fact that all of the students are able to progress in their chosen careers and university courses.’

09/Aug/17

Top ten secondary schools in Bristol

The top ten secondary schools in the Bristol area have been announced by the Real Schools Guide.

20/Jul/17

Adopt a School

Adopt a School programme links IKB Academy and Campbell Reith

A new partnership between one of our academies and an engineering consultancy is being built on firm foundations.

IKB Academy, which specialises in science and engineering, has formed a link with Campbell Reith, a long-established international practice that has its Bristol base in Pixash Lane, Keynsham.

Campbell Reith has partnered with IKB, which opened in Keynsham two years ago for students aged 14 to 19, under the construction industry's Adopt a School programme.

This is aimed at ensuring that talented young people discover all the options available for a career in construction

Campbell Reith and IKB marked the launch of their partnership with an immersion day, in which employees spent time in the classroom and students visited the company's Holburne Park development on the Warminster Road, Bath, where Campbell Reith is building luxury homes. This enabled them to see various stages of the construction process, visit the marketing suite and talk to the contractors.

The students, who are pursuing academic A-level and GCSE courses as well as undertaking regular work experience with employers linked to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects were fired with enthusiasm.

Riana Cano said: “There were so many interesting things to see on site and I really enjoyed looking at the different aspects of construction”.

Saule Bausyte said: “It was great to see the houses that were almost finished and try to imagine how they’ll look when all the furnishings are in as I’d like to be an interior designer".

Debbie Gibbs, principal of IKB Academy, said: “It is really important for us to collaborate with local employers in the STEM sector. The Adopt a School programme is a great way to make those links for the benefit of the students and the businesses that are involved.

"Partnering an engineering consultancy covers so many areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and these subjects are at the heart of what we offer students here at IKB. It is also important that we partner an organisation with many different routes into the industry as our students leave to study at university as well as via higher and degree apprenticeships. Working with a local company offering a full range of employability options is a real bonus. I am very excited about the benefits this will bring to the classroom and to the industry."

Jamie Siggers, from Campbell Reith, said: “We are very pleased to formalise this relationship with IKB Academy through Constructing Excellence South West's Adopt-A-School initiative. We have held a relationship with IKB as our local academy since their inception, but this new relationship provides more scope to support the curriculum and to encourage students into our diverse and rewarding industry. “The launch event was a special occasion for CampbellReith, allowing us to talk to the students about Holburne Park, which is a key project for our Bristol office with many interesting challenges, but more importantly to introduce them to a live construction site, where every stage of house-building is evident on a very prestigious development. ”We are proud to be involved in the scheme and look forward to organising future events with IKB Academy”.

17/Jul/17

Trust Matters - Newsletter July 2017

Mayden Academy Trip

As part of the Level 3 BTEC in Information Technology, The Bath Studio School took a class of 6 Year 12 students to visit the Mayden Academy in Widcombe, Bath. The Mayden Academy is an initiative setup by healthcare software company, Mayden, offering an intensive 16 week training program to people aged over 18 interested in learning the ins and outs of programming and software development.

As part of the visit, students were shown around the business and met with employees in every functional area; from server and system maintenance, to marketing, software testing and human resources. Following their tour, our students took part in a short coding activity where they were required to build a web-based game from scratch using HTML, CSS and Javascript with the guidance of some of Mayden's highly skilled team, furthering their existing skills in programming.

When asked how they felt about the trip, students had the following to say:

"I really enjoyed the trip to the Mayden Academy, it showed me that there are more options available to me after sixth form other than university and it helped to further develop my coding skills using JQuery" - Sam Adams, Year 12 "It was really cool, I might look into the academy after I finish at TBSS" - Aletia Spencer-Jones, Year 12

The short outing was a great success for students and further strengthens links between The Bath Studio School and its partners in industry. We look forward to being able to offer more trips like this for our students and would like to thank Mayden for the opportunity.